symphony spotlight
Meet Juan Guardiola
conroe symphony Bassoon (Co-Principal)
“You Are a Bassoon Player!”
Meet Juan Guardiola, bassoonist and band director, 4 seasons with the Conroe Symphony Orchestra.
Juan Guardiola’s entire musical life began with one confident sentence from a band director who saw something in him.
It was the fall of 2013, and Juan was a freshman who had never been in band.
“After asking me a few questions and hearing me play piano, my soon-to-be band director, Mr. Cooper, confidently declared, ‘You are a bassoon player!'”
Mr. Cooper was right, and he changed the course of Juan’s life. “His passion for music and its power to change lives inspired me to pursue the same path.”
Today, Juan has followed directly in those footsteps: he’s one of the band directors at Kingwood High School. “When I’m not on stage, I’m getting students ready to take it,” he says.
Now in his 4th season with the Conroe Symphony, he treasures the community as much as the music. “I really enjoy being part of the Conroe Symphony family, as well as sharing my love of music with such a wonderful community.”
He can pinpoint one of those unforgettable musical moments exactly. During a John Williams concert, Juan played an exposed passage featuring clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon, and horn:
“We were so in sync with our phrasing, intonation, and balance that I got chills down my spine. It was one of those magical musical moments.”
— Juan Guardiola
His favorite composer is Maurice Ravel. “There’s something about his melodies, colors, and harmonies that always brings me peace,” he says, with a recommendation attached: give Pavane pour une infante défunte or the second movement of his Piano Concerto in G a listen.
Although, we are big fans of hearing him play this popular piece:
His advice for young musicians is the kind worth framing:
“Learning an instrument will take time and frustrate you often. But the moment you figure it out and make music with people from all walks of life, it teaches you that life is more colorful when you work with others, good things take time, and music is our universal language.”
— Juan Guardiola
He left us with a message for the whole community, one that gets at the very heart of why the Conroe Symphony exists:
“Please keep supporting the arts — this is what bridges the gap between people, brings communities together, and reminds us of our shared humanity.”
— Juan Guardiola
Juan, Off The Stage
He Can't Live Without
a stick-shift car!
“Nothing beats three pedals and rowing through the gears! 😎”
Favorites
Spending time with friends, family, and his husky Luna.
Composer- Maurice Ravel
Notable Achievements
4 seasons with the CSO
Co-Principal
Assoc. Band Director at Kingwood HS
Recipient of the TMEA Music Educator Award
Come Hear Juan For Yourself
“The musicians in the orchestra must have music in their hearts to make such a sacrifice to come to rehearsals after their day jobs. They just have music-making as part of their lives.”
— Gary Liebst, Music Director
To Learn More About Our Musicians
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